The Buzz Newsletter

August 2004

 

 

Page 8

The One That Got Away

I had my line, my bait, and my boots. It was time to go fishing… for a swarm. The day had started out simple enough, I was accompanying my brother Eric to take some photographs of him pulling honey supers. We pulled into the first yard to see a nice little swarm hanging in a small tree no more than a foot off the ground. Eric had no problem shaking it into a box. I would have been happy with just the pictures from this swarm. I had no idea what a trip to the second bee yard would have in store.

Unfortunately the bees chose to land on a branch 30ft up the tree.

Entering the second bee yard, Eric and I noticed that there was an extremely heavy level of flight. It didn’t take long to realize that we were witnessing a swarming in progress. I have never seen so many bees in the air at once. The bees were pouring out of the hive entrance. Five minutes later the swarm had landed, 30ft up in an old oak tree. The swarm was large enough to still be easily seen. However, being in photographer mode, I wanted the close-up shot. I climbed my way up the old oak, camera in hand. ‘Strong as an oak’ was never more true.

The swarm covered a good 2ft of the branch with bees hanging 18” below.

The branches were reassuringly sturdy. After I got some shots in with the camera, Eric and I decided to make the attempt at capturing the swarm. Eric tossed me the rope, tying the other end around a super. I pulled the super up and nested it in the branches about two feet from the swarm. While this was a nice sturdy oak, the swarm had landed a little farther out than I could manage. We ended up leaving the box for a day as the swarm had not moved when it was time to go home.

The next day Dad and I returned to finish some work in the yard. The swarm was still hanging on the branch. Apparently they did not feel like moving. Or did they? We continued to work through the yard only to find that at some point in the hour the swarm had decided it was time to leave. They did not chose to make the super their new home. All together it was still a nice little adventure. Even if they were ‘the one that got away’, I got pictures.

Submitted by Alex W. Ebert